Cabinets or the like having hinged closures and hinge for use therein



Aug. 8. 1967 L. E. HIMELREICH CABINETS OR THE LIKE HAVING HINGE!) ULOSURES AND HINGE FOR USE 'lHlfiRlEiIN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5, 1965 INVENTOR LOUlS E. HMELRElCH BY ATTORNEY Aug. 8, 1967 1.. E. HIMELREICH 3,334,376

CABINETS OR THE LIKE HAVING HINGEU CLOSURES AND HINGE FOR USE 'I'HEREIN Filed July (5, 1965 2 Shets-Sheet z 25 s lf) 4 e Lia :5

INVENTOR LOUIS E. HIMELREICH BY ZW ATTORNEY United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cabinet door assembly including a stepped hinge leaf attached to the inner surface of the door; the cooperating hinge leaf on the exposed surface of the cabinet housing having portions fitting into a recess on the door when closed, and the stepped hinge leaf having a reinforcing bulge serving to position the door with respect to the cabinet housing during mounting of the door on the housing.

This invention relates generally to the mounting of hinged closures, such as doors, upon cabinets or the like, and more particularly to an improved hinge for use in such installations.

An object of the invention is to provide a hinge having a leaf with a reinforcing bulge therein and which leaf is adapted for securernent to a closure member by means of two screws located respectively on opposite sides of the bulge.

Another object is to provide a hinge having a leaf with a reinforcing bulge therein and which bulge acts to establish the relative position of a closure, to which the leaf is secured, during the assembly of the closure upon a cabinet housing.

A further object is to provide a cabinet assembly including a housing and hinged closure and which assembly presents an improved exterior appearance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and then considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a portion of a cabinet assembly showing a door mounted upon the cabinet housing and employing the hinge of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation showing the inner surface of a portion of the closure detached from the cabinet housing, but with the entire hinge being depicted.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the exposed face of the first hinge leaf.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the hinge, and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the blank from which the first hinge leaf is to be formed.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3 showing a typical use of the invention, a cabinet assembly, such as a conventional kitchen cabinet, includes a cabinet housing 10 having an aperture therein bounded by an edge 11 of the housing. By means of the improved hinge, later to be described, a closure member such as a door, a perforate panel, or other functional member, is pivotally mounted upon the housing for opening and closing of the aperture, and adjacent its pivoted edge includes a generally flat inner surface 12, a ledge 13 and a shoulder 14 generally normal to the planes of the inner surface and the ledge and separating the same. A generous sized rabbet recess 15 is formed in the ledge 13 along the pivotal edge of the member. As will be understood, at least two similar hinges suitably spaced from each other are employed upon the closure member.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first leaf, or wing, of the hinge is formed by suitable operations from a flat metallic blank having a body portion 16 with two countersunk holes 17, 18 formed therein and with two projections 19, 20 extending from the pivotal edge of the blank and having an appropriate curling length.

Passing now to FIGS. 4 to 6, the blank is suitably worked so as to form therein a centrally disposed, elongated bulge 21 positioned between the holes 17, 18 and presenting a convex surface on the side of the leaf opposite to the side which is to contact the closure member. Upon forming of this bulge the transverse cross section of the leaf assumes a cupped shape as best seen in FIG. 5 and with the crown region 22 being outwardly displaced from the edges 23 and 24 of the leaf. The bulged leaf is also formed into a step-like configuration and the two projections are curled to provide rings adapted to receive the pintle of the hinge. When thus shaped, the leaf comprises a first portion 25, a second portion 26, and a third portion 27, adapted respectively to be mounted in close contact with the inner surface 12, the shoulder 14, and the ledge 13 of the closure member.

Of particular significance, the bulge 21 acts as a reinforcement of the leaf against undue bending, and also extends around the junction of the first and second portionsof the leaf and projects outboard of the plane of the second portion 26.

For cooperation with the above-described first leaf, a second leaf 30 having curled rings 31, 32 and 33 for interleaving with the rings of the first leaf, is provided. A pair of pins 34 and 35 having a drive fit into the respective rings serves to form the hinge pintle. Two countersunk holes 36, 37 are formed in the second leaf to receive screws for fastening that second leaf to the exterior surface of the cabinet housing.

Adjacent the extreme ends of the second leaf a pair of laterally projecting ears 40, 41 are respectively located and which have a dimension suflicient to locate the same within the rabbet space 15 of the ledge 13 of the closure member when that member occupies its closed position. This relationship is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 and as will be understood, the resulting appearance of the assembly is improved since no open spaces will then appear between the extreme edge 42 of the closure member and the ends of the second leaf member. Accordingly, an appearance of a more massive and substantial hinge mounting is secured.

With the foregoing description in mind, the several advantages of the invention will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Upon mounting of a hinge on the closure member, the tightening of the two screws 43, 44 in the holes 17 and 18 causes the edges 23 and 24 to become tightly loaded against the inner surface 12 of the closure member, and experience has shown that in lieu of the three screws conventionally employed when the first portion of the step-like leaf is fiat, only two screws are required with the cupped first leaf of the present hinge. Simultaneously, with the fixing of the first portion 25 against the inner surface of the closure member, the second portion 26 is tightly engaged against the shoulder of that member and the third portion 27 is tightly engaged against the ledge 13 within the rabbet recess 15. Meanwhile, the reinforcing bulge 21 preserves its shape and is available to oppose any subsequent tendency of the first and second portions to flex with respect to each other.

With the several hinges thus mounted on the closure member that member is then placed over the aperture in the cabinet housing and moved until the bulges of the hinges abut against the edge 11 of the cabinet after which the screws are inserted in the holes 36, 37 of the second hinge leaf and tightened against the cabinet housing 10. This simple procedure which employs the reinforcing bulges in a dual capacity aids in the assembly of the cabinet and saves time and effort. In general, it has been found that a bulge which projects about inch outboard of the second portion 26 of the first leaf of the hinge will be satisfactory. With the closure member thus mounted, thereafter during the normal usage of the cabinet each time the member is closed the bulges serve to limit the movement of that member to the proper degree. This feature assures that the edge 11 of the housing and the shoulder 14 of the closure will not frictionally engage each other.

With the foregoing description of the invention and its attendant advantages in mind, it is intended that the appended claims are to cover such changes and modifications of the described invention as come within the true spirit and scope of that invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a cabinet assembly including a closure member having an inner surface and a ledge along the pivotal edge of said member and separated from said inner surface by a shoulder generally normal to the planes of said inner surface and said ledge, said ledge having a recess formed therein, a first hinge leaf mounted upon said member adjacent said pivotal edge, a cabinet housing including an aperture to be closed by said member and bounded by an inner edge of said housing, a second hinge leaf mounted upon the exterior surface of said housing and having ear portions adjacent its respective ends and projecting into said recess when said closure member occupies its closed position upon said housing, and a hinge pintle vpivotally joining said leaves, said first hinge leaf having a step-like configuration including first, second, and third portions adapted respectively when said hinge is mounted, to contact said inner surface, said shoulder, and said ledge of said closure member Within the recess thereof, said second portion having a convex bulge formed integral therewith and adapted to contact said edge of said housing when said aperture is closed by said closure member thereby to assist in the initial positioning of said closure member upon said housing at the time of forming said assembly and to hold said edge of said housing and said shoulder of said member out of contact with each other in subsequent normal closing of said member during use of said assembly.

2. A hinge comprising a first leaf, a second leaf, and a pintle joining said leaves, said first leaf having a step-like configuration including a first portion, a second portion generally normal to said first portion, and a third portion generally normal to said second portion and projecting beyond said first portion in parallel relation thereto, said second leaf having ear portions adjacent its ends projecting sufficiently far beyond said pintle to dispose said ear portions beneath the hinged member which is adapted to be carried by said first leaf in overlying relation to the third portion of said first leaf; and a convex reinforcing bulge centrally located in the exterior surfaces of said first and second portions and protruding therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,363,370 12/1920 Soss 16l35 1,727,319 9/1929 Wasmuth 16-l35 1,743,495 1/1930 Soss 16135 2,228,876 1/1941 Howe 16191 2,276,255 3/1942 Soss 16135 2,758,332 8/1956 Augensen l6191 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CABINET ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING AN INNER SURFACE AND A LEDGE ALONG THE PIVOTAL EDGE OF SAID MEMBER AND SEPARATED FROM SAID INNER SURFACE BY A SHOULDER GENERALLY NORMAL TO THE PLANES OF SAID INNER SURFACE AND SAID LEDGE, SAID LEDGE HAVING A RECESS FORMED THEREIN, A FIRST HINGE LEAF MOUNTED UPON SAID MEMBER ADJACENT SAID PIVOTAL EDGE, A CABINET HOUSING INCLUDING AN APERTURE TO BE CLOSED BY SAID MEMBER AND BOUNDED BY AN INNER EDGE OF SAID HOUSING, A SECOND HINGE LEAF MOUNTED UPON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID HOUSING, AND HAVING EAR PORTIONS ADJACENT ITS RESPECTIVE ENDS AND PROJECTING INTO SAID RECESS WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEMBER OCCUPIES ITS CLOSED POSITION UPON SAID HOUSING, AND A HINGE PINTLE PIVOTALLY JOINING SAID LEAVES, SAID FIRST, HINGE IS MOUNTED, A STEP-LIKE CONFIGURATION INCLUIDNG FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD PORTIONS ADAPTED RESPECTIVELY WHEN SAID HINGE IS MOUNTED, TO CONTACT SAID INNER SURFACE, SAID SHOULDER, AND SAID LEDGE OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER WITHIN THE RECESS THEREOF, SAID SECOND PORTION HAVING A CONVEX BULGE FORMED INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND ADAPTED TO CONTACT SAID EDGE OF SAID HOUSING WHEN SAID APERTURE IS CLOSED BY SAID MEMBER THEREBY TO ASSIST IN THE INITIAL POSITIONING OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER UPON SAID HOUSING AT THE TIME OF FORMING SAID ASSEMBLY AND TO HOLD SAID EDGE OF SAID HOUSING AND SAID SHOULDER OF SAID MEMBER OUT OF CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER IN SUBSEQUENT NORMAL CLOSING OF SAID MEMBER DURING USE OF SAID ASSEMBLY. 